China weighs mandatory mental-health classes as teen depression detections climb

Rising detections, stronger mandates

China’s latest mental-health “Blue Books” report a stepwise rise in detected depression among school-age youth: 10% in primary schools, 30% in middle schools, and 40% in high schools. The figures, cited in the 2025 National Depression Blue Book and the 2023 China Mental and Psychological Health Blue Book, have intensified calls for systemic interventions. The Ministry of Education (教育部) in October 2025 issued “Ten Measures” to upgrade school mental-health work, embedding life safety and health education into national curricula and emphasizing regular practice-based activities. Why now? The numbers—and the stakes—are going up.

Exam pressure in the AI era

Zhang Qicheng (张其成), a National Committee member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and professor at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (北京中医药大学), argues that academic pressure remains a core driver of youth distress—official statistics attribute over 70% of teen depression cases to advancement pressure, he reportedly told Time Weekly, as relayed by Huxiu (虎嗅). His remedy: deepen reform of the high school entrance exam (the zhongkao), moving away from “one test decides fate” toward multi-dimensional admissions, and piloting comprehensive high schools that blend general and vocational tracks with later, flexible specialization. In an AI-driven economy, should 14-year-olds be sorted by a single test? Zhang’s answer is no—creativity, collaboration, and aesthetic judgment need time and space to develop.

Localizing the syllabus: TCM and unified standards

Zhang also pushes for a national, mandatory mental-health curriculum with at least 16 class hours per semester and a unified textbook system. He contends current teaching leans too heavily on Western psychology and calls for integrating Chinese traditional culture—especially Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) emotion theory—across grade bands. Examples include observing the 24 solar terms to help younger pupils notice mood shifts; teaching Confucian introspection and Daoist “go with the flow” in middle school; and explaining TCM’s “seven emotions and five wills,” including their links to organ systems, in high school. Practice matters too: alongside the “two-hours-a-day sports” push, Zhang proposes adding Baduanjin (八段锦) and Wuqinxi (五禽戏) to support mind–body regulation.

Tightening screens: social media and platform implications

With studies linking heavy social-media use to anxiety and depressive symptoms, Zhang advocates banning social-media use for under-14s, citing Australia’s moves as reference. He pairs “prohibition” with “guidance”: curb addictive short video content while expanding quality children’s programming to avoid blunt “one-size-fits-all” bans. Any nationwide shift would add to China’s evolving youth-tech governance—alongside underage gaming curfews and proposed smartphone time controls for minors—and could reshape compliance for platforms such as ByteDance (字节跳动) and Kuaishou (快手). The message to industry and schools alike is clear: detection is up, and policy is moving from pilots to prescriptions.